Dhe exact cause of the problem is still unknown, admits Boeing space manager John Vollmer. The high humidity after a thunderstorm at the US rocket launch site Cape Canaveral in Florida may have played a role. He could only speculate why 13 valves could not be opened after the Starliner astronaut capsule was refueled with highly toxic fuels.
Even after days, the breakdown could not be completely resolved, which led to the start being aborted. The valves are critical to controlling the capsule’s thrusters in space. They have to work, otherwise the second unmanned test flight cannot begin. Now everything has to be examined carefully, says the Boeing manager.
For this purpose, the capsule, known as the CST-100 Starliner, was removed from the top of the rocket. She comes back to the factory. When the next attempt to take off will be made is open, according to a press conference between the US space agency Nasa and Boeing. Maybe in October – or even next year. The project has already been delayed by three years. A few months no longer matter.
Boeing versus SpaceX
The now imposed starting ban for Boeing’s Starliner astronaut capsule is not just any mishap that fits the industry’s motto “Space is hard”. Time and again there are problems with missions by space companies because rockets, space capsules and satellites are among the masterpieces of engineering, but are also exposed to extreme loads. In manned space travel, everything has to work.
The specialty of the most recent Boeing breakdown is the chain of errors. The attempt to launch the Starliner capsule, which has now been canceled, is the second attempt with which Boeing wants to prove to the US space agency NASA that the company can safely transport astronauts into space.
In 2014, NASA commissioned both Boeing and the relatively young company SpaceX owned by technology entrepreneur Elon Musk to build astronaut capsules so that America could again put people into space without the help of the Russians.
Boeing received $ 4.2 billion and has not yet completed a single mission. SpaceX took in just $ 2.6 billion, and the flights worked on the first try. In March 2019 the first unmanned test flight and in May 2020 the first manned mission. SpaceX has now brought ten astronauts into space on three flights. The biggest setback at SpaceX was the explosion of a Dragon capsule during an engine test on the ground.
Everything went wrong on the first test flight
For Boeing, the current flight stop for the Starliner capsule is so embarrassing because the company wanted to do everything better after the failed premiere flight. The first test flight in December 2019 did take off, but as soon as the capsule was in space, the problems began. The clocks were programmed incorrectly, there were software breakdowns, the capsule was in the wrong orbit.
The mission was about to fail completely and was canceled after two days. A docking with the space station ISS was canceled. Now, on the second attempt, a massive 18 months later, it should work. All systems have been checked again and revised if necessary, it was said confidently in advance.
There were even more mishaps during the development of the reusable Starliner capsule. In May 2019, only two of the three parachutes opened on the very first test hopper to test the safety systems. The cause was human error when assembling the parachute technology, it was later said. The first Starliner flight was scheduled for August 2018, but then a tank leak was discovered.
Boeing is more controlled
Because of the breakdowns and delays, industry blogs are already discussing fundamentally poor quality controls at America’s largest aerospace company. In the civil aircraft division, the 737Max model crashed two times, killing 346 because Boeing had developed faulty flight control software (MCAS) with insufficient safety buffers.
In March 2019, a worldwide flight ban was imposed on the Max models, which was largely lifted only at the beginning of 2021. There are also other breakdowns, quality problems in the Boeing aircraft business, from delivery interruptions for the 787 model to delays in the new jumbo jet replacement 777X, which will not be delivered until the end of 2023. At the beginning there was talk of 2020.
After the crashes of the 737Max models, the US aviation safety authority, the FAA, stepped up controls on Boeing and initiated inspections of the 787 aircraft for damage to the fuselage.
Big plans in space
For Boeing, it’s not just damage to its reputation, it also costs a lot of money. The 737Max disaster caused billions in costs and losses in the entire group. But the Starliner problems in space travel also cause special loads.
The first failed flight test in December 2019 was booked at a cost of $ 410 million. At the joint press conference with NASA, Boeing manager John Vollmer was not yet able to put a figure on the cost of the capsule’s current flight stop.
The 105-year-old Boeing Group has big plans in space travel. This includes the construction of the new large rocket SLS (Space Launch System), the development of which has also been delayed, as well as participation in a space station (Lunar Gateway). It is supposed to orbit the moon, similar to the concept of the International Space Station ISS, which flies around the earth. The budgets come from NASA, so a safe source of income.
With Elon Musk to the moon
The US space agency is building on a two-source strategy, at least for the new astronaut capsules. So Boeing doesn’t have to worry about being sorted out because of its own problems with the Starliner model compared to SpaceX’s successes with the Dragon capsule.
When the Americans next manned moon landing, which is planned for around 2024, NASA will rely solely on Elon Musk’s landing vehicle and will not be pursuing a double strategy. Here, SpaceX’s rival is not Boeing, but billionaire and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos with his space company Blue Origin.
Bezos is raging that he will not get any NASA money for a US moon landing with his vehicle. All attempts to get hold of the order have so far failed because its offer from NASA is simply too expensive.
This makes it clear to the Boeing management that their space business has also faced more competition as a result of the privatization. Mistakes can no longer be eaten out so easily. Exactly how much money Boeing earns from space travel or whether losses are being written cannot be seen from the outside. The group packs everything into the armaments, space and security division. In 2020, the division’s sales were $ 26 billion with a total of over $ 58 billion.
Boeing also has plans for manned Mars missions. However, technology entrepreneur Elon Musk also wants to land on the red planet. And so far it has been faster than Boeing.
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